I am trying (I was forced) to build a new snow village for Mom to use at Christmastime. Anyway, I only have a 32 inch board, and I need a train that will make a 13.5 inch radius. The only locos I could find in Walther’s were goofy looking (no offense) Shay’s and European Diesels. Any suggestions on a narrow gauge (HOn3,HOn30,or HOn2) and rolling stock for them? While I’m on the subject, I also need a trolley in narrow gauge to run through the middle of town on my big layout. I’d appreciate suggestions there too.
Thanks y’all,
Greg
Does the trolley have to be narrow gauge? There were certainly narrow-gauge trolleys out there (Los Angeles Railway used 3’ gauge for a long time) but narrow-gauge trolley models are practically impossible to find (Standard-gauge trolley models aren’t exactly common either!.) Fortunately, most trolley models, even standard gauge, can be modified to run on curves as narrow as 6" radius in HO.
Are you willing to spend $3-500 for a brass narrow-gauge engine for Mom’s snow display? Because that is what most NG engines cost, except for a goofy-looking Shay or two.
HO standard-gauge diesels that run fine on 13.5": Bachmann 44 or 70 tonner, P2K S1, Athearn SW7/SW1500, Walthers SW1…if you want steam, there are plenty of 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 Docksider clones, but a Bachmann 4-4-0 should be able to manage such curves if you fiddle with it a bit and you’d rather have a fancy old-time steam engine.